Michigan State has one of college football's best defenses. Just don’t tell Spartans’ defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi that. He's not hearing it. Despite being eighth in the nation in total defense, the unit was undressed by Narduzzi.

“We really haven’t been happy at all,” Narduzzi told the Detroit Free Press. “If you ask the guys, Sunday, I came in and ripped them. It wasn’t good enough. That’s the God’s honest truth. We haven’t been where we need to be if we want to be where we want to be in the end.”

Michigan State's defense was sixth at the 2011 season's end. If this defense is falling short of last year's, it's not by much.

“We’ve played solid defense, but we haven’t played mistake-free defense yet,” Narduzzi said.

The Spartans have gotten to the quarterback for a sack once in two games. Defensive tackle Micajah Reynolds has gotten praise, while nose tackle Anthony Rashad White got a little criticism.

This week will provide the stiffest defensive challenge yet. Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert is an elite player, and running back Cierre Wood returns from a two-game suspension. The Irish also have two capable quarterbacks in Everett Golson and Tommy Rees.